Interview With Toyota CEO, Jim Lentz

May 18, 2016

This week, Toyota Newsroom sat down with Toyota North America CEO to discuss his path to leadership and what his day to day life as a CEO is really like. Take a look at some of our favorite quotes below.

On Success: “The other thing that I understood was I had always put my future in the hands of my manager, and I realized that was a huge mistake. Only one person is responsible for your career and that’s you.”

On Being a Boss: “Back in the day, if you were very dictatorial in your management style, you got exactly what someone asked you to do. Not less, but not more. Today if people really understand why they’re doing something, I think they give more.”

On What Keeps Him Up At Night: “Today it’s the price of oil, for a lot of different reasons. Obviously it’s difficult for us to forecast demand – on trucks and SUVs especially – not knowing exactly where it’s going to fall out. But probably the more difficult part about that is it may mask trends in the marketplace that we can’t see because of it.”

On Work/Life Balance: “My life can sometimes be 48/7. This week is an example. Tuesday I had an officer’s meeting in Japan. But I had to be in Des Moines, Iowa, Tuesday night for a reception and a dinner. So I spend the day in Japan, fly all night, get there the same day that I left, do my reception dinner, speak to 800 attendees the next morning at a fundraiser for the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts of Iowa, fly back home, have three conference calls until 1 a.m. with Japan.”

On Travel: “I love traveling. I like seeing new places and meeting new people. But last year I was gone 180 nights . . . I wouldn’t change it for the world, but I can tell you being a CEO with all the time constraints, and now being in charge of manufacturing as well, it’s a tough grind . . . And frankly, the only way to keep your sanity is to have a strong partner at home . . . Spouses are the real unsung heroes of CEOs.”

On His Job: “I love thinking about the future. . . And I think part of it too is watching people develop and progress in the company, knowing that’s the bench of the future leaders, so that we continue with this company that develops people from within.”

“Meet the Man | Corporate.” Meet the Man | Corporate. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 May 2016. <http://pressroom.toyota.com/releases/jim-lentz-ceo-day-life.htm>.